GMTV = IDIOTS

Is anyone watching this nonsense on GMTV? Totally one sided report on cycling with that idiot Quinten Wilson talking nonsense. What does he know about it?

Angry now.

I’m off to have a ride.

People who watch GMTV = idiots.

Linky

Comments can be posted 8)

It took you this long to work out that GMTV = idiots?

They watch GMTV whilst waiting for their copy of the Daily Mail to arrive

This is illustrated by British cyclist’s ignorance of basic road rules – with a quarter (24 per cent) unable to identify a cyclists prohibited sign and one in five admitting to night cycling without working lights.

FAIL

This is illustrated by British cyclist’s ignorance of basic road rules – with a quarter (24 per cent) unable to identify a cyclists prohibited sign and one in five admitting to night cycling without working lights.

These figures are pretty meaningless unless they give details on the survey. They could have asked 10 chavs in a McDonalds Drive Through

Didn’t see this for the reason that gmtv’s not on my must see list, but the posted article is rather typical of the crappily written and inflammatory stuff they put out- "forced" in the headline for a start gets my blood boiling. Stats posted are crap as well and utterly meaningless. Who did they poll- kids, adults, racers? Everybody’s ridden on the pavement at some time- doesn’t mean we do it often, or even at all now. Where did they get the figure of 150000 accidents from? It’s meaningless without mileage figures.

Irresponsible reporting.

The comments on the gmtv site have boiled my piss nicely. I guess I only had my self to blame. Who on earth watches/reads that shite?

Fair point. I got sucked in by the pretty blonde presenter and then heard the word cycling and I was gone. How easily it is done. 😳

I’ve just realised that I was totally experiencing Daily Mail righteous anger there. God, glad I’m going cycling that was a close call.

It’s interesting to talk about ‘cyclists’ as a group, just like it’s odd to talk about ‘motorists’ as a group, as if those groups were distinct and separate from the rest of society.

If everyone riding a bike is a cyclist, then we are all cyclists at one point or another, in the eyes of the press at least.

I think the problem is that those of us that pursue cycling as a hobby, either to a greater or lesser extent, do see ourselves as a distinct group, which is why we take umbrage from articles like this one.

Certainly in London you don’t have to look very far to see some one on a bike, riding dangerously or irresponsibly. As a ‘cyclist’ I always get upset by this because it just makes the motorists’ already dangerous attitude towards ‘people on a bike’ even more dangerous – people use it as an excuse not to extend people on bikes more respect and courtesy.

Did you see someone had the nerve to call in and say we should be paying road tax!?? the cheek!

I imagine the GMTV demographic to be almost entirely chubby school-run mums anyway, so just see it as pandering to their lazy prejudices.

Can’t deny there’s a lot of crap cyclists about though – and I see more of them on the pavement than I do motorists.

Quote from the article:

This is illustrated by British cyclist’s ignorance of basic road rules – with a quarter (24 per cent) unable to identify a cyclists prohibited sign and one in five admitting to night cycling without working lights.

That should be cyclists’ shouldn’t it? When they can write, I’ll take them seriously.

I got quite frustrated by that article too!

Tho i did quite like it when the interviewer asked Quentin Wilson when he last road a bike ‘oh err, i think did it for radio 4, once…’.

the quoted stats are alos meaningless unless they are compared to other road users. how often to car drivers use mobiles and go through red lights in london?

The problem is, a lot of people read the Daily Mail and watch GMTV and this sort of stuff just reinforces there opinions.

They do have some level of a point, cyclists should be proficient when riding a bike – as a cyclist and a driver I’m shocked by the antics of some bike users. Likewise I’m shocked by the antics of some car owners.

Did you see someone had the nerve to call in and say we should be paying road tax!?? the cheek!

Well I have a car but usually cycle to work. Can I use the ‘tax’ I’m paying on the car I’m not using as cover for my bicycle when I’m using it?

If not, how about we pay ‘road tax’ based on our exhaust emissions just like cars?

"More than a half admitting they never read the high way code" – so? I know from all the dodgy driving I see that at least half of motorist don’t read it either – what’s their point?

Oh I love the comments, "A lot of my friends have experienced" or "I see all the time" – be honest you’ve seen it happen once and in your total ignorance and daily mail-esq rage you’ll paint the lot of us with the same brush.

I abide by the rules, am normally packing more light than a Dakar rally entrant, wear a helmet, am not even slow, what more can I do right by road users and peds and I still get abuse for being a cyclist…

Morons.

Well I have a car but usually cycle to work. Can I use the ‘tax’ I’m paying on the car I’m not using as cover for my bicycle when I’m using it?

Argument doesnt really work, I have two cars that both need to be taxed, despite me not using the second. If you make my road tax zero for that car then fine… 🙂

No but you can guarantee that some 20,000 mile a year Cayenne owner is moaning somwhere about all the road tax he pays and how cyclists don’t, unaware that I’m paying road tax on my crappy old Ka which I use twice a month at most!

(I’m actually boiling from the inside now)

There seems to be a campaign being held by the anti group which manages to get prime air time to put a one sided poorly justified argument forward

There was a similar pants section in an edition of the politics show on BEEB2 a few weeks back

My concern is that there is an agenda behind this to get momentum to force a change in legislation to force cyclists off the road, compulsion on helmets and registration of bikes etc etc

The inability to get air time for the opposing point of view to be put in a professional way will mean that their arguments become the recieved wisdom of their audience

When I’m in charge, I’m gonna pay for a billboard campaign where some of them just say in big letters ‘Motorists, respect cyclists’ and some of them say ‘Cyclists, respect the road’. It’s really just a downward spiral of abuse and acrimony from both groups that’s only protected from complete anarchy by a) women drivers (who are always nice to you) b) old people (ditto) and those few on both sides who actually respect the rules.

Once the GMTV viewer has finished reading their Daily Mail, do they listen to Jeremy Vine on radio 2?

Someone should send them the video footage from the chap who uses a helmetcam in glasgow (or did until he was threatened with death).

) women drivers (who are always nice to you)

PMSL what world do you live in? The only two near-over-the-bonnet incidents I’ve had have been with female drivers, who subsequently mouthed off at me for riding "too fast" on a slight incline in a cycle lane. 😆

Stop riding too fast, that’s classic! Too slow and holding up traffic one minute, too fast and dangerous the next.

Daily mail and GMTV – recipe for a country’s downfall.

Look on the brightside we’re the ones that have the intelligence to see beyond their mumblings which means we’re the saviours of the country!!! 😆

only protected from complete anarchy by a) women drivers (who are always nice to you) b) old people (ditto) and those few on both sides who actually respect the rules.

Really? I find these two groups to be the most likely to not even notice my existence when on a bike.

We won’t be the saviours of the country until we can get some concerted action in the media to put the opposing point of view in a rational manner – Critical Mass not being the best way of overturning the prejudice, in my mind.

CTC has made a response to the survey, apparently. Detailed here with a further response from insurance company LV:

http://www.bikeradar.com/news/article/car-insurers-cycle-stats-branded-mickey-mouse-19970

I’ve submitted a comment.

So far it has not been published.

They had similar b******s on about a year ago too. I don’t watch it but my mother phoned me up to have a rant about it. She can’t even ride a bike but I’d been knocked down by a car a few days before and my Dad has had too many near misses over the years.

There are idiots on bikes just as there are idiots in cars. But I’ve never known of an innocent motorist being killed by a cyclist.

And LV responded to that Bike Radar report…

Quote:

"LV= is pro- cycling and believes it’s a cheap and enjoyable way to get from A to B and great exercise at the same time. The last thing we want to do is scare cyclists off the roads, but it is essential that both cyclists and motorists are fully equipped to deal with the changing demographics of British roads to ensure every road user’s safety.

This research was conducted through an international research agency, a member of the British Polling Council adhering to a rigorous standard of research. They are an objective third party and obliged to sign off reports based on their findings and ensure that the interpretation and statistics reflects the source material.

It is also worth noting that official figures on cycle accidents include only collisions where an injury has occurred and the incident has been reported to the Police. They do not take into account the huge number of incidents which go unreported.

Emma Holyer, Spokesperson for LV= Car Insurance"

have you seen LV=’s methodology for working the accident figures out?

"Of the 45,434,897 UK adult population (2001 census), 43 per cent cycle. Of these, 11 per cent have been involved in an accident, 7 per cent of these took place in the last six months = 150,434 accidents. In the year six months previously 4 per cent of all accidents took place = 85,962 accidents. There has therefore been a 29 per cent increase in accidents."

(http://www.lv.com/media_centre/press_releases/road_users_warned_over_inexperienced_cyclists)

why they didn’t just divide 1.07 by 1.04??

anyway at that rate, in 5 years there will be 150 * (1.29)^10 = 2 million accidents.

I’ve posted a coment on GMTV and not posted up just yet either!!

Either they are swamped by responses or they are selectively editing them!

I’m surprised. Your excessive use of exclamation marks would fit right in 😉

They do have some level of a point, cyclists should be proficient when riding a bike – as a cyclist and a driver I’m shocked by the antics of some bike users. Likewise I’m shocked by the antics of some car owners.

Totally agree

Tom

Either they are swamped by responses or they are selectively editing them!

It looks like doesn’t it? All those comments seem very similar to me. They start with ‘I think’, are very simplistic and end with an exclamation mark.